Playing cards and card games



Dec, 9,

c. v. KENT PLAYING CARDS AND CARD GAMES Filed Feb. 15, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ii, ezv-or;

U March- 7 C. V. KENT PLAYING CARDS AND CARD GAMES Filed Feb, 15, 1924 2 s t s t g in the margin at the up among others, affording instruction in such history,

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Patented Dec. 9, 3924.

UNITED STATES CGB'NELIUS VAR/DEN KENT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PLAYING CARDS AND CARD GAMES.

Application filed February 15, 1924. Serial No. 693,118,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS VARDEN KENT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and'State of Illinois, have invented certain newand usefuL Improvementsin Playing Cards and Card Games, of which .the following, together with the accompanyingldrawings, is a specification.

y invention relates to playing-cards and card-games generally, but particularly to cards and games of the more intricate and difiicult kind; is based upon ancient Egyptian history, as more particularly revealed and popularized by the recent penetration into the tomb of the ancient Egyptian king, Tutankhamen; and has for its objects,

while providing interesting and more or less exacting mental exercise, as well as diversion, entertainment and amusement. My invention consists essentially of a pack or deck of fifty-five cards of the character partially shown in the drawings, same comprising four suits and one combination suit of ten cards each, and five several extrasuit cards known as permanent royal cards, or simply royals, same being of superior value, and one of which, the =Seal,-being, under certain conditions, of highest value, otherwise, lowest. I

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1, represents this Seal, the salient features of which, besides the name lettered or initialled er left and lower right corners, are a bro en. slab of stone, witha winged circle or sun,flanked on either side by a cobrahead, and having the name of an ancient Egyptian king in hieron its disk, carved in relief-thereon; g. 2, represents the card known as the Tomb, same, besides havin the name lettered 0r initialled in the margin as aforesaid, depicting a temple-like vault or mastabe built amid the shifting sands of the Fig. 3 shows the card known as the King, which, in addition to the lettering or initialling of the name in the margin as aforesaid, presents a front view of the head and bust of an ancient Egyptian king, with characteristic sphinx-like facial expression and hair done in characteristic Egyptian or Sphinx-like fashion, while representations of the scarab or sacred beetle, and ofthe ibis and cobra appear, in addition to the the fostering of interest and Between these two are ornamental covering, on the chest and right and left arms respectively. Fig. 4, represents the card called the Keeper, same,

with lettering or initialling as aforesaid, depicting an ancient Egyptian soldier or sentinel standing, with upright spear in hand, at the door of an ancient royal mastaba or tomb. Fig. 5, is the card called the Queen, the marked features of which, besides the lettering or initialling of the name in the margin as aforesaid, are -a profile of the head and bust of an ancient E ptian queen; clad with an ornamental shoulder-covering, and wearing a pendent and veiLlike-headdress surmounted by a profile of the sacred ibis with its wing drooping over the backhead and down to the neck. The above named figures represent all the so-called permanent royal cards, 'or royals as aforesaid. Fig. 6, represents the back common to all the cards (thou h any other form of back may be resorts to and cultivated) the essential features of which are a combination or composite, at or near'the aniddle of parts of the faws of the said Seal, Tomb and King, the three highest cards of the deck, while the rest of the field, with in a heavy beaded marginal line, is occupied. by some eight columns of Egyptian hieroglyphics representing as many qndtations from as many different parts of the ancient Egyptian record known as the Book of the Dead. Fig. 7, represents, the imperial and the One, respectively the highest and lowest cards, of-the combination suit of ten cards known as Guards, distinguished by the figure, at or near the middle, of a guard with u right spear in hand, and the letter or initial, G, at the upper left and lower as j right corners while the Imperial is further distinguished by the letters, IMP in said corners, and by impressions of the Seal immediatel above and below such figure, and the ne, b the number, 1, along with said letter, G in the comers. eight other Guard cards, from the Two to the inclusive, but not shown in the drawings and which are in all respects like the One Nine both except that, instead of the number, 1, in the.

corners, there appear in sequence the numbers from 2 to 9, both inclusive, though variants thereof may be made having, instead of a single figure of a. rd at or about the middle, the number 0 such figures corresponding to the numbers in the respectively,

nemesis corners symmetrically or otherwise appropriately distributed over their faces. Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 re resent respectively the Imperi'a-ls and nes of-the simple suits known as Mummies, Dancers, Camels and Slaves, being in all essentials analogous to the guard suit, but having, instead of a figure or figures of a guard and the initial, G, the figure or figures of a mummy, dancer, camel and slave, and the initials, M, D, C and S respectively.

The faces ofvthese cards, with the exception of marginal lines, letters and figures. are done-in two colors, preferably red and blue, the mummy and dancer suits being red, and the camel and slave suits being blue, whilethe guard suit, as Well as all the permanent royals, and all the imp-ressions of the Seal on all imperials, are done in a combination thereof, that is to say, are partly red and partly blue. Marginal lines, Wherever there are any, and all letters and figures are 'donepreferably in black. backs of all the cards are done in uniform design and color, the latter preferably other than red or blue Various games can be played with these cards; but, in playing the game of Tulsa men, invented b me concurrently with these cards, and f dr which same were primarily invented, the entire deck is used; and, alter shufiling, thirteen of the cards are dealt, usually by threes and fours to the left, to each of the four paired or a-rtner players, (this being the normal an vdesirable. number and arrangement, though the game may be adjusted to as few as two and as many as six players) the three remaining cards, known as the treasure, being placed face down on the middle of the table.

The pla ers thereupon, in like order, pass or id to determine what suit shall he trump or royal, .as it is technically called, for that hand, the dealer having the lastsay. In making his bid, the bidder announces not onl the number of tricks he is willing to obligate himself, or himself and partner, to take in the course of the play, but also the name of the suit he desires as royal, as eight, dancers, or in or on dancers, nine, slaves, etc, a bid ofeight,

in the normal game, being the lowest entertainable, and one of thirteen the highest pos sible, while any given bid in a blue suit is higher than a like bid in a red suit, even as such bid on the combination red and blue suit or guards is higher than either, the highest bid determining the royal for that hand, and obliging the bidder, or him and his partner, to take, in the course of the play, at least the number of tricks corresponding to the number so announced, or be set and correspondingly penalized,

Royal having been thus determined, the

loses a The player places three cards in front of him on the table, and face up so that all can plainly see them. These are known as decoys,

and should be selected with great care, as

each player, or pair or group of layers,

oint to each of the others decoy lost in any given trick.

The object of the play, for which the players are now; ready, is primarily to take tricks and win points, of which latter, 13, or the highest number that could possibly be won on a given hand, constitute a game; and secondarily to cause opponents to be penalized or otherwise lose points. When either of the red suits is royal, the winnin of eight or more tricks on a bid of eig t counts eight points; if either of the or each blue, ten points; and if redand blue,

or guards, twelve points, there being ten further points to be added in each case for each additional trick included in the bid and taken in the course-of the play.

In playing out or boarding the cards, the successful bidder has the lead, and plays first, the pla progressing toward the left, each player ollowing suit if possible from either his decoys or the cards in his hand, and the winner of anytrick leading for the next,

The values of the various cards for tricktaking purposes depend somewhat upon what s royal; but there are six cards that are always ofsuperior value regardless of royal, viz, beginning with the highest and descending in sequence (1) the Seal when led (this card being otherwise the lowest), (2) the Tomb, (3) the King, (4) the Keeper, (5) the Queen, and (6) the Imperial of guards; and when guards are royal, the order of value descends from the above in sequence through the Nine down to the One of guards, the rest of the cards being oil suits and of lower though equal values in their own sequences. When, however, one of the simple red or blue suits is made royal by bidding,

as aforesaid, one of the ed'ects is to dignify.

the Imperial of the other suit of like color, known for the nonce as the shadow, and then the values decline in sequence from said superior six as follows: Imperial of royal, Shadow, Nine of royal, Eight of royal, and so on down to the Due of royal, the nest of the cards being off cards, and of lower though unequal values in their sequences, the balance of the cards of the guard suit being superior to like cards of the two simple suits of the color other than royal.

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Similarly the inclusion of certain cards in certain suits depends somewhat upon what has been made royal. If guards, there is no difliculty, as they together with the permanent royals, fifteen cards in all, will constitute the royal suit for that hand, while the four other or 011" suits will each be composed of theten cards designated: as be longing to each of them respectively. But if one of the other or simple suits is made royal, as aforesaid, then the royal suit will comprise not only the five permanent royals and all of the cards of the suit so made royalybut also the imperial of guards and the shadow, seventeen in all, while, of the four remaining or oil suits, two, those of the non-royal color, will each embrace the ten cards designated as belonging thereto, and the other two, guards and the other suit of the same color with what has been a permanently royal or imperial card, or

lacking which, the highest card held.

Points depend not only upon the number of tricks taken in the course of the play of any given hand, but also upon the holding,

. saving and taking therein of certain cards. Thus the holder of the Seal scores one point for each of the other four permanently royal cards played upon it, otherwise, i. e. when not led, but played upon an opponents lead loses two points to opponent; the holder of t e King, when same takes the trick,

scores two points, and each decoy played disciplined minds, capable of a considerable de cc of strategy and concentration.

aving thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A deck of, playing-cards, based upon ancient Egyptian history, comprising a group of ermanently superior cards, anda like num er of distinct suits of twice as many cards each, one of which is a composite two-color suit, and the others, simple one-color suits, substantially as described and shown.

2. A deck'of fifty-five playing-cards, based upon ancient Egy tian history, and comprising a group 0 five permanently royal cards, and five distinct and separate suits of ten cards each, four of which are simple one-color suits, and one composite two-color, and of a dignity and value normally intermediate between said group of royal cards and saidfour simple suits. 3. A deck of fifty-five cards for playing the game of Tutamen, said cards and game being based upon ancient Egyptian history, and comprisin a group of five superior cards one of w ich is of supreme or lowest value of all according as same is or is not led, and five distinct and separate suits in sequences of ten cards each, one of whichiis a composite two-color suit and normall greater dignityand value than any 0 the our others, the latter being simple suits of one-color, except as to the hi hest card in each thereof, and being of inferior dignity and value, except when one of them is made royal for any'hand, when, together with the hi best card of the other of said simple suits being of like color, is superior to all of said twoi-color suit, except the latters highest car l a 4. A. deck of fifty-five playing-cards, based upon ancient E ptian history and comprising one card own as the Seahone as the Tomb, one as the King, one as the Keeper and one as the Queen, and one suit of ten cards known as Guards, another of ten called Dancers, another Mummies, another Camels and another known as Slaves, their backs depicting various columns of hieroglyphics and a composite of the essential features of said Seal, Tomb and King.

5. A deck of fifty-five playing cards, based upon ancient Egyptian history, and com prising one Seal, of supreme or no value according as same is or 1s not led, one Tomb, one Klng, one Keeper, and one .Queen, and one suit of ten cards in sequence and normally of su erior dignity and value called Guards, an four suits of tencards in sequence each, and normally of inferior dignity and value, called Dancers, Mummies, Camels and Slaves respectively, substantially as described and shown. In witness whereof I' have hereunto set my hand.

' C. VARDEN KENT. 

